How Does Poverty Affect Education?

According to the United Nations (UN), around 10% of the world lives in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day. One of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to end all poverty worldwide by 2030. However, poverty has far-reaching effects and is incredibly difficult to get out of. So, how can we accomplish this goal? One key to successfully eliminating poverty is education. In this article, we’ll explore how poverty and education affect one another, and the role education plays in ending poverty.

The Relationship Between Poverty and Education

There is a direct correlation between poverty and education and a clear negative relationship between the two. In fact, a lack of education is one of the seven most common causes of poverty. Studies show that poverty occurs more frequently in countries where education is less developed. Furthermore, schooling has been proven to be one of the strongest predictors of economic well-being.

This is often why it’s referred to as the “poverty cycle,” because it is difficult for those living in poverty to change their circumstances—e.g., get an education—when they are already living in poverty. Living on so little money each day, these families generally can’t afford to send children to school.

Similarly, impoverished families—including children—usually have to work every day simply in order to survive. This creates a cycle that they are unable to break out of, especially when they receive no help from the outside. In other instances, they don’t even have access to education because of where they live, leaving them with no tools to try to improve their standing in life.

Even for those individuals who do have access to education, living in poverty can affect their learning by impacting student behavior, achievement, and retention. This puts students from impoverished families at a significant disadvantage, and makes them more likely to fall behind or even drop out of school.

Education is a vital part of getting out of poverty, as individuals who are able to get an education are more likely to work their way out of poverty by being qualified for better employment opportunities, removing the barriers poverty presents, and eliminating the stress factors that come with poverty from their lives.

At Tiyara, we believe that education is the best weapon against poverty. That’s why we seek to provide educational opportunities that will make life-changing differences for under-resourced young women and men in India, equipping them to pursue professional and skilled employment. Some of these young women and men have had their lives changed by crime, others’ families are often discriminated against, and some are from indigenous populations.

You can help make a difference by providing technology for our students, other education-related costs, or by putting a deserving young person through college!